HONG KONG: A day at Hong Kong Disneyland may soon become a special memory for 5,000 foreign domestic helpers in the city. The Li Ka Shing Foundation, together with Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, has announced that it will expand its free visit programme this year, increasing the number of beneficiaries from 4,000 to 5,000.
According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the initiative, first launched last year, is also widening its reach beyond Filipino helpers to include workers from Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Thailand.
The visits, which would be scheduled for March 29 and April 12, are designed as a gesture of appreciation for a group that quietly keeps many Hong Kong households running. Each helper will receive a one-day ticket to the theme park on Lantau Island, along with meal vouchers covering two full meals and a snack, as well as an Octopus card for transport.
Altogether, the package is worth more than HK$1,000 (S$162). This means that the foundation has committed HK$5,000,000 to support 5,000 foreign domestic helpers.
In a statement, the foundation described the programme as a heartfelt way of saying thank you to the city’s hardworking domestic workers. They also added that this year’s edition aims to reflect greater diversity and celebrate more communities.
“As a heartfelt gesture of gratitude to the city’s hardworking foreign domestic workers, the 2026 programme will feature even greater cultural diversity and an expanded number of participants, spreading warmth and appreciation across different communities,” the foundation’s statement read, as quoted by SCMP.
Online, the response was swift and emotional. One netizen wrote, “Thank you Li Ka Shing Foundation for sharing your blessings, I was one of the beneficiaries.” Another Facebook user commented, “Thank you Li Ka Shing [Foundation] for [the] support.” A third added, “Thank you, especially to you sir Li Ka Shing! Happy Lunar New Year!” For many helpers, the opportunity is more than just a free outing, but also a rare chance to relax, celebrate and feel seen.
What is the Li Ka Shing Foundation?
The foundation behind the initiative has a long history of philanthropic work. Established in 1980 by Hong Kong businessman Li Ka-shing, the organisation has invested heavily in education, healthcare, and communities over the decades.
It has helped over 210,000 students at Shantou University and awarded 84,000 scholarships worldwide. Additionally, more than 120 million students have been served through an online platform, and over 11,000 educational institutions have received support as well.
In healthcare, the foundation has helped over 17 million patients and supported more than 1,000 medical institutions. It has also funded free hospice services for over 240,000 patients across 42 hospices, alongside nearly 199,000 volunteer experiences in Greater China.
To date, Mr Li has invested more than HK$30 billion into projects spanning education, medical services, charity and anti-poverty programmes, with the bulk of these efforts focused on Mainland China and Hong Kong.
With those things said, the Disneyland visits may seem modest in scale. However, for the helpers who will get to walk through the park gates later this spring, the experience could offer something just as meaningful: a day of joy, recognition, and respite in a city they help support every single day.
This article (5,000 domestic helpers to be treated to Hong Kong Disneyland visit by the Li Ka Shing Foundation) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.
